Yugioh Dominion of the Beasts
by Elliot Pole
Summary: The monsters of Yugioh exist in a world of their own. Dark Magician is the prnce of the Dominion. Kojikocy is his mentor. He must kep the order, prevent destruction from happening in the Dominion. A task which starts with loving a girl with silver hair...


**Yugioh Dominion of the Beasts**

**Legend of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Part One**

Long, long ago, there was a kingdom where dwelt a horde of monsters. Some of these monsters were filled with goodness, kind spirits, and cheerful tidings. These were typically the fairies, a group of this time of monster willing to bring joy and shining friendship to everyone who bounded the land.

However, there were also monsters who represented an evil darker than that which most humans could muster. They sought to wreck destruction and leave only rubble in their wake. If some monsters were to fall down and be subjected to slavery, so be it. If monsters died while they ravaged the land, they were welcome to their deaths. Some of these monsters were so vile that they would gladly have ruined nations, torn down monuments of beauty, and imprinted marks on the good ones of varying degrees, which would continuously inflict them with increasing and unmitigated pain, if it permitted them to achieve their ends.

There was a prince, a young man skilled in wizardry, whose job it was to prevent the fok of an evil persuasion from culling together their forces and bringing with them perpetual thralldom and subjugation. His name was Mellikar, but he preferred to go by the title Dark Magician.

He waved his staff around his body as he is decked in purple robes, with a horn-shaped hat which he had been opposed to wearing when he was first crowned prince three years before.

A creature rose out of the molten lava. It was rather unobstrusive. As prince of the Dominion, it was Dark Magician's responsibility to identify the monsters he came across. He knew this one to be called Dissolverock. As long as it didn't attempt to assault him, he'd be all right.

Then down the lava stream floated a flower creature with an eye that seened to pierce him. He wanted to pick it up, but the Armored Starfish could send out a ray that would kill, so he thought it best not to.

Ancient Elf appeared before him. In his robes of purple he looked like a Dark Magician coiunterpart, sort of a younger brother if people squinted and ray and temperature was shining brightly. Dark Magician thought it odd that Amcient Elf appeared the younger of the two, given that Dark Magician was only eighteen. Then again, elves did tend to appear young no matter what their age. It was part of who they were.

"Prince, it is high time you met your mentor," Ancient Elf said.

"Who's it going to be? One of the Noble Knights? Perhaps even Gaia himself?"

"Gaia is no longer a Noble Knight,: said the elf. "He is fierce and is speaking of fusing himself with a dragon."

"Well, so who is it?"

"To find out, you must answer aq Question."

"Okay, shoot."

"Not from me. It's the Quizzler who must ask it.:

"The what?"

"Fusionist, dude!?

Dark Magician turned and saw Battle Footballller running toward him. He was carrying Deep-Sea Diva captured in a net. "Going to play Volleymon with the ladies,: Battle Footballer said, at Dark Magician's questioning look. "Diva here so kindly volunteered."

"I did no such thing!"

"I'm not sure if this is allowed by the protocol of the Dominion," Dark Magician said. "My inclination is that it isn't."

"'If the capture of a beast of the sea is undertaken, it must be fore the purposes of Volleymon only, and the captive must be cut from the net at the conclusion of the game.' I can show you exactly where it's written in Solomon's Lawbook."

"Prince, you've got to take the Reversal Quiz," Ancient Elf said.

Dark Magician turned to face the elf, only to find himself standing in a stadium instead.

A orange floozy creature…that was the only word that came to his mind for it…looped toward him.

"I, Synchro Fusionist, shall be your emcee. Now for your first question."

A podium arose and Dark Magician was buckled down.

"Are you sure this is necessary?"

"I ask the questions here. Now allow me to tell you your Gorg."

"My what?"

"The introduction to the Reversal Quiz." The orange creature held a sheet up to his face. "'_Ahem. Welcome, far traveler, or rather, Prince of the Dominion. Your first Reversal Quiz shall be to decide your mentor. All answers you give will be analyzed by a set of Test Ape, who will determine its meaning. Then the reversal meani9ng will be applied. Please note that any and all answers you offer can and will be used to call Krebons here through an emergency teleport if the necessity arises. EWnjoy, and have fun. Oh yeah, and beware of Drillroid. He's been affected by a fiend who thinks it's a Vehicroid and there's a high-chance he'll attempt to drill a hole in you.'_"

Dark Magician glanced around nervously but did not see the grinning Vehicroid.

"Where is he?"

"Did I not say that I ask the questions here? Do you want Oshaleon here on your shoulder?"

A rather revolting frog creature with a slimy tongue leered at Dark Magiciam.

"I just wished to know where Drillroid is," he said, turning his gaze away from the repulsive frog.

"Oh yes, that menace. Claptrap! Arise!" the Fusionist said, in a vcoice that sounded like a vacuum clear muffled by a blender.

A giant belldescended from the ceiling (where it had not been before, as Dark Magician noted), clanging and chiming.

"You range?" the bell asked.

"Call the Vehicroids, Clappy old pal."

A chime that rang through Dark Magician's hole being, causing even his hands to vibrate, Then the floor of the stadium shook, and he was grateful that he was buckled, for that very likely prevented him from falling out of the podium.

There was Submarineroid, with its two faces, the one heading the bulk of its body, not looking very kind, and the second visage having a goofy expression…there was Decoyroid, zooming around rapidly and clearly pleased with itself…Steamroid smiled maliciously, very impertinent, it appeared, and at last out of the hole it had made in the stadium floor to allow its fellows to come forward was Drillroi, who spun his drills as if anticipating the pleasure it would bring him to cut Dark Magician's flesh with steel contortions he could cause…

Dark Magician shook his head. He needed to focus.

"Now that the Vehicroids are here, awaiting their call to wheels, all that's left is to down the curtains and let the Test Apes hop on the judging table, Steamroid, will you do the honors?"

"It will be a wonder to drag these curtains across."

The train did so. However, where Dark Magician expected to see monkeys bubling around with cranium gadgets, he instead saw three frogs who were ready to break out in chorus.

"Who invited the Des Amphibians?" Synchro Fusionist asked. "And where are the apes?"

"We figured that since Oshaleon is here, we ought to be invited as well," said the middle Des Frog.

"Oshaleon's presence here has no bearing on your own. Now what is going on here?"

"I would like to know the same thing," came a syrupy voice.

It belonged to an orange-faced man in a purple suit.

"W-witty phantom!" Synchro Fusionist exclaimed in alarm.

"Come to usurp your power over the Question Stadium, have you, Fusionist?"

"I thought you were going to relocate to Kaiser Colosseum. After you vacationed in

"These shall be your appraisal committee. Amazoness Tiger, who will judge you on the length of your response. bThe All-Seeing hite Tiger, who wil judge on the quality of your response, and finally Test Tiger, who will judge on thetemerity of your respuetas.

All three wildcats appeared as their names were Tiger leaped on the table and surveyed Dark Magician with its piercing stare.

Together they will offer a reversed catewgory, which will permit us to figure out who your mentor ought to be." ssid Witty Phantom.

"First question. What makes Sonic Duck tick?"

"A Carrieroid is traveling along with Madolche Puddingcess along for a passenger. You see Green Bsboon, Defender of the Forest ready to hurl a Broken Bamboo Sword at her. What do you do?"

"Ask the Baboon why he stole Frenzy Panda's lunch?"

"We're not pleased with you using a Vehicroid as part of one of your hypothetical scenarios, and didn't even have it as a main character," SAubmarineroid said.

"I was oerfectly entitled to ask the questions I felt were most proper to deducing who'd be the best candidate as mentor for Dark Magician there," Witty Phantom said.

Drillroid rolled toward Dark Magician. "Ready to feel my needle, er tiger?"

"How dare you refer to him as a tiger when there are real tigers present!" exclaimed the feline with white fur and black stripes.

"/Now that the Vehicroids are taken care of, the tigers can tell you their verdict."

"Based on your answers, your mentor shsll be…Kojikocy."

"You will be forced to undergo a series of tasks," Kojikocy said. "Each task ahead will test your strength and see that you've earned your title. Not your old title. Clearly that's your own. But dso you deserve to be prince? That is what is to be discovered."

"You're rather voluble for a mentor," Dark Magician said, rubbing his temple.

"I tell you what I think ought to be taken care of. If you wanted a terse mentor, you're out on Morphing Jar's laughing teth.

"Are you Gaia the Fierce Knight?"

"I also answer to the name Gaia the Swift. Why? You looking for me?"

"Yes. I've come to tell you that if you attempt to smash the Dragon-Capture Jar on Follow Wind with a honey jar filled with sap pulled from Trent's bark by the use of Wattpecker, in order to cull Wattkid's rage and make him call forth the Curse of Daragon so that you might polymerize with it, I will incarcerate you upon the attempt."

"I don't see what right you have to say that to me,"

"Your second task will be to halt Horn Imp from eating an Ultra-Evolution Pill.

The creature stood on two legs and was quite deformed. Its eyes were red but they looked almost blue in the light given off by the blaze.

"I'm sorry, but I must confiscate this pill," Dark Magician said. "Only dinosaurs should be allowed to eat it, and that's _if _they wish to become dragons."

"You musssn't confiscate that marvelousss pill from me," the imp said, reaching for the capsule.

"Catch a Lesserr Dargon, and teach it to breathe fire. If you can do this, I will alow you to swallow the pill."

"You know zat isss impossible…"

"Perhaps for a Horn Imp maybe. I bet Feral Imp could do it."

"You dare question what I can accomplish? Fie on you, being of darkness!"

"Just because my oldest title is Dark Magician does not give you a right to refer to me like that."

/:I will refer to you as I sssee fit. Your attribute is Dark."

:So is yours."

"Yessss, but at leassst I don't hide it. You do.

"So what's the third task?"

"So glad you asked that," said Kojikocy. "Your third task is to fill in as a semi-mentor of a lad for a day. Well, not really mentoring, just coaching the lad a b it, encouraging him and all."

"Great. Who is it?"

"Kagemusha of the Blue Flame."

"The kid that's part of the samurai pack?"

"The Six Samurai protect the dominion from the Evils. They can be ruthless sometimes, though. Which is not to the liking of some monsters.

"Is that thing hurling eggshells at us?"

"It is.

"No mortal has ever laid eyes on it. Only one human is said to have seen the beast. But she's really a—"

"Excuse me. Are you the Prince?"

"The Ruler of the Blue Flame sometimes allows me to stand in for him," said Kagemusha. "It's totally awesome!"

Kagemusha reminded Dark Magician of his enthusiasm at that age.

"I trust Shien treats you well?"

"He does. And he promised that if I figure out how to toss an enchanted javelin in the eye of a Hitotsu-Me Giant from forty yeards away, he'll introduce me to a Water Omotics. It'll be so grand!"

"Sounds like fun," Dark Magician said.

"Yeah, but I've onlt managed to hit those cyclop man-eaters from twenty feet away so far. It seems to me that those javelins, infused with magic as they are, wish to steer themselves. I throw it and it does not go in the direction I intended. So insane."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," Dark Magician said.

"Dragoness isn't really wicked," Fusionist said. "She has violet crystals in her throat, inserted there by the former prince of the Dominion."

"Jerasalt?" Dark Magaician asked.

"Not him. The one who was prince directly before you."

"But Exodd is afraid of women. He wouldn't have done anything like that."

"He doesn't mind them when they're sleeping. If you've ever spoken to him on the subject, you'd know that he pictures sleeping women as being deceased when he deals with them."

"That's disturbing," Dark Magician said, shivering.

"Ugh! A basic insect just biit me!"

"Send it to the future," Kojikocy instructed. "With your staff. The human world. Who knows but that it might nestle in the ear of a future King of Games?"

"I thought mentors were forbidden from speaking of the human world," Dark Magician said.

"That may have been true if Trifalgus or Gerret were your mentors. But I'm Kojikocy amd I'll say whatever the Il Blud I want."

"Anyhow, what is a King of Games?"

"Were you not familiar with the Pharoah Atem before you came here?"

"What about him?"

"Five thousand years from now his spirit will be reborn. He will be the first King of Games after he is awakened, when a man named Pegasus develops a game based on monsters in the Dominion. There will be others after Atem, taking the title. It is to one of them I wish you to send that insect."

"That doesn't seem like a very kind thing to do."

"It will give him a fear of bugs that will goad him on when obstacles are in his way. So send the basic insect."

Dark Magician waved his staff in an arc. Suddenly the insect was six-feet-long.

"Mellikar! When I said to send it into the future, I didn't mean for you to enlarge it first!"

"Sorry, sensei. I'll reverse it."

Dark Magician raised his stafee upward before sparks flew out, which hit the insect on its feelers. And then there were forty six-foot-long freen arthopods bearing down on them with compoundeyes…

"Now you multiplied them! Goodness gr5acious, man! Where did you learn that spell, from a Kuriboh?"

"I didn't know that would happen. According to the Book of Secrets Arts, if you wave a staff with magical properties embedded in it in a clockwise direction, it reverses spells."

"_Counter_-clockwise, you flippin' magician! Now do it properly before we're pierced by a thousand stingers!"

"There aren't even enough insects there to inflict that many wounds," Dark Magician said.

"Just cast your spell already!"

Dark Magician did so, this time sending his staff from a right to left angle and culminating in a circle, just before the teeth of one of the basic insect's was set to nibble his ear. Now there were thirty-nine fewer insects in the air, though one was still there, watching them with anger.

"Now shrink that fellow and send it to the future.

"You have permission to speak."

"Prince Mellikar, it is with the utmost dread of displeasing you that I must inform you that Exodd, the prisoner in the dungeon and your predecessor, has escaped his carcel and is loose upon the dominion."

"Huh? Wasn't Exodd sealed with

"How do I extract a moutain's roots? It's not like walking up to a massive rocky structure and saying, 'Hey Mountain, I reqyire your roots, will you give them to me?'"

At that moment there was the sound of a thunderous goiant waking and standi ng up. In the soil now were roots. Unlike tree roots, which branched outward, tjhese seemed to form a circl, going around the mountain in four parallel lines.

Dark Magician caused his staff to move in the way Kojikocy had indicated. The roots leaped up, being extracted from the mountain now, and zommedinto his staff, which glowed bright for a moment beforeattaining its former hue.

"I, er, came to request your beard, though as you don't have one, I'll take myy leave/"

Dark Magician started to wave his sword over himself but Dark Elf held him off by sending her own ,agic at him, her hand raised.

"Good thing I had the Wdjat eye borrowed from a man in crimson robes," Dark Elf said.

"I told you I need a beard. Why keep me here if you do not have one?"

"I do have one, Mellikar. It's tucked into my skirts."

She unraveled her topmost layer of skirt. She seemed to have a million layers underneath, and yet at the same time her dress looked like a natural-size…it was almost as if the myriad other layers were inside the first one.

"Lungs of a Flying Fish. That should be easily attained. Flying Fish aren't very vicious."

"Why'd you pick Flying Fish?" Moilten Behemoth asked. "Torpedo Fish here would have been perfectly willing…"

"It's got to be a fish who can give up its lungs so that no other fish wil have lungs. And Torpedo Fish just doesn't qualify for the position."

"Oho, and do you qualify to be Prince of the Dominion? You could use a nice run0in with chaos."

I could use support from monsters like you, instead of being targeted for things which are as they must be."

"I supported Exodd. He was a prince with a head on his shoulders. You, however, are not fit to le4ad us."

Molten Behemoth's words stang, though Dark Magician did his best notto show it.

"Three down, two to go. And then I'll face Exodd."

At that moment there was a screech in the air, and an eagle wearing goggles swoopeddown to land before him with a bow.

"I have here a delivery for one Mellikar

"Well, you've found him," Dark Magician said.

"Here you go, then," Sonic Bird said. "And now I, take flight!:

He beat his wqings and soared into the air, not altogether gracefully.

Sark Magician watched the albatross until he was a tiny speck in the distance, before unraveling the papyrus.

_Prince of the Dominion,_

_Please come to the Village of Amours, where dwell the silver-haired people. The Kumootoko, a fearsome spider, is wrecking our village by ensnaring people in its webbing and feeding them to the great Roc of Mist Valley. We urge you to have compassion on the village and protect us from this menace, before it depletes al of us._

"Kumootoko," Dark Magician said. "Doesn't ring a bell."

There were certain monsters he could summon to his aid whenever they were needed. One of them was Morphtronic Celfon, who had set off to collect information on every monster it encountered. Now Dark Magician used his staff to bring the creature to his presence.

"Celfon, I require your identification mode," Dark Magician said into his staff. In a moment a two foottall monster that resembled a cell phone appeared.

"I can identify any nmmonstere," Morphtronic Celfon said.

"All right, then. What is a Kumootoko?"

Celfon's number pad lit uter with the name 'Kumootoko' exists in the databank. Please trp in rabndom places for y your identification request again later."

"Wella few seconds. "No such mons

:Well, that certainly takes care of business," Dark Magician said.

"If that's all, see ya in thje future."

"Go gather more information. There might come a time when it is necessary for me to identify a monster. If you don't provide the information I seek next time, I may have to fine you."

"I'll have a more up-to-date databank when I return, all right."

"You'd better,"

"Hey Celfony! Radion got caught attempting to woo the Spirit of the Harp! You've got to come talk Time-Space Police out of having him sent to the Royal Prison in the human city!"

"Coming, Boomboxen!" Celfon gave a bow to Dark Magician before prancxing off after the other Morphtronic that had shown up.

"I suppose a trip to Royal Magical Library is in order," Dark Magician said. He caused his staff to emit light-gtreen and yellow-orange streamers, and the scenery shifted…

T.G. Hyper Librarian now stood before him, carrying a pitcher of apricot juice *or so it was labeled on the side). "Heard about the Spellsbooks that arrived on loan from the Crescent Library, haven't you, Mellikar? Which one do you want to look at first Fate? Judgment? Perhaps Wisdom?"

"At some point I may require the spellbooks concerning all of those subjects. At the moment I'm in need of information on the Kumootoko."

"Information, eh? You'll have to watch out for Inaba White Rabbit. He's taken to lurking in the H-L aisle, which is where books on your Kumootoko friend are to be found.

A hare with fur of a light hue appeared in front of the aisle, blocking it off.

"Are you Koster?" the hare asked.

"Who is Koster?"

"If you don't know who he is, you probably aren't him. He Spellnapped Tenki."

"He what?"

"Spellnapped! Absnrbed the spell efforts of an entire Archetyope. The brotherhood was foolish to store their key strength in the form of a spell. A barrel behind a door exploded and injured

"That's rather unfortunate," Dark Magician said. "I'd recover the Tenki for them by pursuing the thief. But right now I've got to rescue a village from some creature known as Kumootoko."

"Ku-moo-what?" the hare laughed, tittering. It then began laughing ao hard that it didn't notice it had risen up straight out of the ceiling.

"Strange critter," Dark Magician said, shaking his head. He then proceeded down the aisle, hunting for the books that would tell him what he needed to know.

"_The Kumootoko is the most deadly of arachmnids. If you find yourself up closeto this fearsome creature, attempt to run. Of course, if you're in such a position you'll likely be surrounded by webbing before you csan escape._

"This is a locket," the silver-haired girl said. "It belonged to my great-grandmother when she was my age and was passed on through the generations.

"It's Hinotama Soul. Let's follow it!" the silver-haired girl said. She took Dark Magician's hand and he let her propel him after the soaring fireball. Why he was going along with this, he wasn't certain. Something about the silver-haired girl really caused his heart to beat ffast. He didn't have her name yet. Making a note to ask her what it was when the first opportunirty arose, he watched as they darted across the wasteland.

"Great, it vannenoed," the silver-haired girl said.

"Er, what?"

"Dosappeared. Scrammed. Vanished into the Nether."

Laval Lakeside Lady was in front of them. "May you two be blessed in holy matrimony," she said.

"Huh? We haven't even exchanged names…" Dark Magician said.

"Do you want to?"

He looked blankly at her. "Do I want to what?"

"Exchange names."

"Not in the literal sense. Though I'm sure your name is very lovely—it'd have to be—I'd rather keep my own."

She smiled at him. "All right, oPrince. I'm Kisara."

"Wow…that name's extraordinarily beautiful."

"Thanks. What's yours?"

"Uh…you might not like it."

"Not going to know until you tell me."

"Well, it's Mellikar."

"You thought I wouldn't like that name?"

"When I told it to siome other monsters, theu guffawed."

"Where were you when this happened?" she asked, arms folded.

"In the Land of Machines."

"Did they ask you '_Nubblum varsigot nivroi_?'"

"As a matter of fact, they did."

"If you don't say '_Gilmorit chovorl verusine jimmel_,' they laugh at you. After which they become aggressive if you have not vacated the vicinity."

"That's…very strange. Wonder why my mentor left that out when I was sen there."

"Sense of humor, probably. Unless…did you teleport yourself away?"

"Sure did. I teleport awau frp, and to anywhere I need to be in a hurry. And offended by the machines' response to my declaring my name, I decided to leave immediately."

"Then your mentor might've been testing to see if you had mastered the ability to teleport. You would have to, more or less, to escape a horde of infuriated machines."

"They wouldn't hurt you if you appeared amidst them. Your beauty is too great for that."

"How did they combine without a polymer?" Dark Magician asked.

"I reckon that was a different kind of fusion we witnessed just now," Kisara said.

"He's a knight! How did that happen! It was just a fireball floating into a monster egg!"

""The fireball has a name, you know," Kisara said. "It's Hinotama Soul."

"Hinotama? After those meteors that burned Shalour City to a cinder?"

"Those were fired off by Brennochs men."

"Who's Brennoch?"

"The Emperor of the Human City. He's planning to go on holiday soon. And guess where he's going to visit?"

"Not the Dominion," Dark Magician groaned.

"Yep. This is where he's coming."

"Pardon me, Madam," said the knight, who had just approached them. "Do you know where I m ight find the Prince of the Dominion?"

"That would be me," Dark Magician said.

"You are Exodd?"

"By heavens, no! I'm Mellikar. Dark Magician to most."

"Has the princedom changed hands so quickly since I was reformed?"

"Exodd was forced to abdicate due to high aspirations, and evil means. He is now paying for his transgressions."

"That's unfortunate. Anyway, I suppose I ought to introduce myself. The name's Charubin. My title, the fire knight."

"You know who I am, as I've introduced myself already. And this is Kisara."

"How do you do?" Charubin asked.

"Pleasant, thank you."

"IWell, now that I'vve met you prince, I'd better go seek my enemy. It is a hare so elusive that even his name has been kept hidden. But I'll find it by sailing on a Yomi Ship, and going through the banished Nether."

"Watch out for D.D. Crazy Beast," Dark Magician called as Charubin hopped away on his pogo stick. The fire knight waved back at him, merrily, before the pogo stick stuck in the mud and he was flung forward, landing on his stomach.

"I'm all right!" he called to them, staggering forward. He kept stumbling, not seeming to have fully gotten hold of the function of his legs.

"Should we go provide him with aid?" Kisara asked.

"He'll be fine. And so will we, so long as we're not too close to—"

"FIREYAROU!"

It was a shout so thunderous to the ears. Kisara covered her own, while Dark Magician waved his staff.

"FIREYA-!"

The voice was cut off this time. Kisara lowered her hands. "Did you cast a Spell?"

"Indeed," Dark Magician said. "That beast that was coming toward us, shouting its name…it's not something you want to encounter."

"What is it?"

"By all appearances, it's a human boy. Again, it's just an appearance. He killed Drooling Lizard and fed on his blood when he was a chimera. Not Chimera the King of Mythical Beasts, mind you. That chimera is regal and staunch in his reserve. Fireyarou was a chimera of the deepest evil. Actually, to make it clearer, or to murk the waters even more, as the case may be, Chimera isn't a chimera at all. That's his name. Sort of like if you named a Hitotsy-Me Giant 'Benefucual.' And if I ever do meet a Hitotsy-Me Giant named such, I'll introduce it to The Snake Hair. They can breed their demon spawn for all I care."

Kisara started to laugh when her expression altered quickly to one of abject horror. The face that looked at her through the bubble they were in was that of a young human male, but hismouth was curled up into a grin, his eyes filled with rage and loathing. It appeared as though nothing would delight him more than to see both of them completely and irrevocably dead.

Flames shot in all directions around him, pouring over his head as firefalls, burning him, scorching him…but he wasn't scathed by them.

No matter what he troied, however, he could not penetrate the bubble. He was about to relinquish his attempt when the earth began shaking. Kisara tripped and Dark Magician caught her. The earth went on shaking for a moment. Fireyarou looked behind him, through the flames. When his gaze returned to them, his grin was more malicious and sinister than ever. And was that triumph in his eyes? Kisara was afraid…very afraid….an emotion she had never experienced before. It was usually others who feared _her_. She thought of becoming her stronger self, but she felt drained of energy. Dark Magician then waved his staff just as a loathsome face, huge and fashioned from continuously-flowing lava, reached in and popped the bubble. Flames were an inch from her hand when the scenery disappeared and they found themselves in the Sogen.

"Well, that was dandy," Dark Magician.

"No, I am," said a lion that was also a flower. "Prince of the Dominion and can't even tell who his subjects are," it sneered, before prancing off.

"What was that creature?" Kisara asked.

/"The Dandylion?"

"No. The giant that came to aid…Fireyarou."

"That was Lava Golem. He-oh noisim, I neglected to…"

The sound of a mighty roar pummeled their eardrums. A green lion with an oange mane ran forward and ripped at Dark Magician's robe leg with his teeth. "You have neglected to take out Exodd," the lion growled. "Pixie Knight and Dark Witch wil die if you don't

Restrain him, complete the tasks! Then you'llk have Doma the Angel of Silence descend upon our heads! Do you want that?"

"Dark Witch? What care I for Dark Witch?"

"You should care…as she'll set firebrooms upon you if you don't."

"Firebrooms? You're weird…"

"I'm telling you what is. Oh look, here come two of them now."

The lion turned on his tail.

"Regulus! You get back here! I'm not finished speaking with you!"

"Mellikar, watch out!" Kisara said. She reached for his staff and red and blute lines splashed out of it, embracing them circling them, just as two flaming broomsticks shot forth to do the destruction to them that Fireyarou hadn't managed to inflict…

"It seems you have more enemies than I've given you credit for."

"When you're the Prince of the Dominion, you takee it into account that anyone and everyone might attempt to kill you."

"I wouldn't do that," Kisara said. "I like you too much for that."

And she kissed him on the nose.

"I like you too," he said.

"Well, I'd better take flight—I mean, depart," she said.

It wasn't till she had gone quite a distance that he realized she had made him staff procude magic. That night he spent hours pondering over this. Wasn't it said that a magician's staff could only be used for magical expersions by someone who was deeply in love with the owner of the staff? Which could only mean…

The next morning he awoke to find that someone had splashed water in his face. He looked up, a yellow-haired girl dressed in pink was running away, giddily. Did she think it funny to prank the Prince of the Dominion? He raised his staff to curse her but thought better of it. She was only a teenager, looking to have a bit of fun. He was twenty himself..t

He tadks having lasted two years.

"Now Exodd, you are bound, and I rename you to add misery to your sentence. From henceforth you shall be known as Exodia, the purveyor of wickedness. However, that title muct not be spoken of, amongst monsters or men. Instead you shall be known as Exodia, the forbidden one. A mountain gave up its roots that this piece of your body might be chained forever. Next, the Left Arm of the Forbiden One, that is yours, chained by Dark Elf relinquishing her beard. Now moving over here we have the Right Arm of the Forbidden One. The lungs of a Flying Fish keep it from sending out its evil. Now the Right Leg of the Forbidden One, which is locked away by Catnipped Kitty giving up its footfalls. Abd finally, Left Leg of the Forbidden One! They are restrained by Mother Grizzly's sinews. And so, Exodia, what have you to say for yourself?"

"Whatever you have done to me, it is little to what you've done to yourself. Don't you know that the sacrifice for permanently binding a Prince of the Dominion is a forfeit of your own life? So say good-bye, Dark Magician. You won't be living much longer. The Reaper of the Cards has your name engraved on his scythe. And one day, someone wil free me. I will rise again! For I am Exodd, the almighty, the indestructible, and you are merely a speck, a ghost of a shell. Adieu, Dark Magician, the weak, the frail. I will conquer!"

Dark Magician shut the Dark Hole with his staff, which resulted in a Dimensional Fissure erupting. He felt it but there was nothing to worry about. Until he saw Spear Dragon, Prickle Fairy, and Nimble Momonga fall into it. He would have to unlock the Swingset of Memories to get the back.

Just as he was setting his staff ro do so, he felt his energy draining…..he could hear the ticking of a clock…and then he fell onto the ground, shaking in convulsions.

A scream was heard and a beauteous face let her hair embrace his cheeks. "Don't die my sweet, my love, my joy…"

A coffin formed around his body. It rose into the air. Kisara was weeping, her strength was evaporating…and then she heard the whizzinf of an approaching creature and saw a sword in the sky moving with increasing speed in their direction…

The sword swooped toward Dark Magician'sc offin. Kisara leaped back to avoid its progress. Then she stifled a moan as it stabbed the coffin. Given it's grin, she knew beyond a doubt that her precious Mellikar was lost to her forever. Tears streamed down her face.

A black box with seemingly three compartments appeared over the sword. Another box came into existence a few feet away. It was quickly skewered with knives the size of hatracks, and when it opened, the Trial of Nightmare sagged downward, quire out of it.

Kisara looked at Mellikar, her face quite wet. "I thought you were dead."

"I wasn't going to let a sword kill me," Dark Magician said.

"You trickster," she said, punching his arm.

Kisara kissed him as a Whiptail Crow hurled biscuits down at the pair of them. There was a snororous cry and a clang as the One-Eyed Shield Dragon slammed its head into the crow and they began scuffling in the air.

"I think that beast was cheering us on," Dark Magician said, when he pulled his lips away from Kisara's. Then he tickled her ear and she beamed at him.

"Probably was," she said.

Just then, Kojikocy was seen running toward them, quite overcome with the news he had to impart.

"Prince Melikar, you've got to come quick! The Sanwitch flobies are planning an attack against Darkworld Thorns! I think they've got Dai Grepher urging them on. But still, if they cut those vines, the Castle of Dark Illusions will fall from the sky and kill everyone in the Land of Machines, who worship Steel Ogre Grotto #1!"

Kisara and Dark Magician exchanged glances. She gave him a look which said, _Well, he is your mentor_.

"Is this really significant? Can't those in the Land of Machines deal with their own problems?"

"Prince, if the Land of Machines is smothered beneath that castle, Blazing Impachi will set fire to the Forest nearby. If the forest is turned to ash, Dark Gray will perish. If that goat spirit goes, there will be no protection for Mystical Sheep #2. Then Silver Fang will devour its flesh, the Spirit of the Harp will cease to play her instrument, vile germs will spread far and wide, and you will be remembered forever as the prince who let the entire infrastructure of the Dominion fall on your neck and scapula. Do you realy want that?"

"I want to know why I have a loon for a mentor."

"What, you want Dark Rabbit to give you advice? He'd have you up the Flagpole hanging on a silver bow and arrow by noontide."

"I'm glad it's you who's my mentor and not he, sensei."

"You'd better be. Now let's GO!"

"We're not walking are we?"

"Walkin'? You're kidding, right? No, we're going by way of The Dark Door."

Kojikocy took a blue sphere with odd designs on it of red, orange and hurled it at the ground. A door sprouted from the hole that had appeared there.

"Of course it requires a ball of Dark Energy to summon it, but so it goes."

"Did you steal that from Saggi the Dark Clown?"

"Please. Mentors of princes never steal. We only borrow without asking. There's a difference."

Kojikocy went toward the door, twisted the novel and revealed an opening to the Sogen where Darkworld Thorns now rested, its blue roots visible through the door's entrance.

"It's awaiting you, Mellikar," said Kojikocy, standing to the side of the door.

Dark Magician started forward but a gentle hand held him back. "Please don't go in there, Prince," Kisara whispered in his ear. "I have a feeling…"

"I must protect the dominion, Kiss. It'll be all right."

She looked at him with immense longing as he stepped over the threshold into the meadow.

Kojikocy shut the door behind him and it melted into the ground. Kisara didn't seem to see the door at all. She clutched her hand over her heart. "I loved you, Prince. I wish you could have been…mine."

Thwn her skin folded into scales and she became eight feet tall. She blazed the area where the door had been with white lightning shot from the depths of her throat. Then she beat her wings till she was in the air, and the first burst stream of destruction that ever erupted from Kisara's very being emerged now to scorch the land. It took her eleven minutes to create the ravine. It was a lonely place as she gaxed upon it, once the electricity in her glottis sizzled down to a few wayward sparks. Not a dragon but her around. The dragon with a human avatar, who had just lost the love of her life. With a final flaming thrust she sent blue embers to the ground to form an "X." Love would not exist for her. Dark Magician would fall for another. All she could do was fashion her own legend. One unique and separate from…him.


End file.
